Chapter 16 - Operation InfernoThe plan was audacious, illegal, and brilliantly ruthless.
While Lorenzo Rossi expected Alessandro to negotiate terms of surrender for my freedom at his secluded coastal estate in Naples, Alessandro had other ideas. Instead of sending a diplomat with a white flag, he mobilized an entire private strike force.
The night was pitch black, swallowed by a heavy coastal fog rolling in off the Tyrrhenian Sea. We stood on the damp tarmac behind the Tuscan estate, watching the sleek, matte-black silhouette of Alessandro’s private helicopter blade up.
Alessandro was dressed for war—combat boots, dark cargo trousers, a black tactical turtleneck, and a heavy leather holster strapped across his chest. He looked like an angel of death.
He turned to me before boarding, his dark eyes softening just fractionally. He reached out, his warm, calloused fingers cupping my face.
"You stay inside the panic room with Luca and Marco," Alessandro ordered, his tone absolute. "When I come back, Rachel will be safe, and the Rossi name will be nothing more than a history lesson."
"Let me go with you," I said, shocking even myself.
Alessandro stared at me, dumbfounded for a second, before letting out a harsh, disbelieving breath. "Absolutely not. This is a slaughterhouse, Sophia, not a tourist attraction."
"I am the bait, Alessandro!" I argued fiercely, stepping into his space. "Rossi has Rachel because of me! If I'm not there, he won't believe the trap is sprung until it's too late. I can help you breach the compound from the inside—I know how their security talks, I heard Matteo bragging about their secondary gate codes at the gala!"
Marco, standing nearby, stepped forward. "Boss... she has a point. The secondary gate code is encrypted through the guest registry system. She can bypass it."
May you like
Alessandro looked like he wanted to murder Marco on the spot, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. He looked back at me, his eyes burning with a mixture of raw terror and immense pride.
"If you get a single scratch on you," Alessandro whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion, "I will personally execute every man in Naples. Get on the helicopter."
